Antifouling anchor



Feb. 23, 1954 c, HR|$T|E 2,669,963

ANTIFOULING ANCHOR Filed July 16, 1951 FI QZ/ Fig, Z

Cleve I". Christie INVENTOR.

BY I 'afivm Patented F eb. 23, 1954 error:

ANTIFOULIN G ANCHOR Cleve F. Christie, Knoxville, Tenn, assignor of ten per cent to Dovie A. Harrison, Knoxville,

Tenn.

Application July 16, 1951, Serial No. 236,965

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in anchors and more particularly to a self-releasing anchor to prevent fouling thereof with objects.

An important object of the invention is to provide an anchor having flukes swingable from side to side of the shank of the anchor and re leasable means holding the fiukes at an acute angle with respect to the shank in an anchoring position and which releases the flukes to swing rearwardly into a position substantially in the plane of the shank when subjected to a predetermined pulling force to free the fiukes.

Another object is to provide a resilient eye at the rear end of the shank of the anchor in which the fiukes are swingable and providing tension adjusting means for the eye to regulate freedom of movement of the flukes therein.

A further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction which is efficient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the flukes in anchoring position;

Figure 3 is a view of one edge of the anchor showing the flukes in releasing position;

Figure 4 is a detail of a modified resilient eye construction; and

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a modified anchor construction.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a bifurcated resilient anchor shank composed of a pair of spaced parallel resilient bars 6, united at their lower ends by a substantially rectangular-shaped split resilient eye 1, while the bars are free at their upper ends and formed with openings 8 to receive a ring 9 to which an anchor rope H! is attached.

A pair of anchor fiukes Ii are constructed of sheet metal and are united by a central web I? which is engaged in the eye '1', the web being of a width slightly greater than the width of the eye so that the fiukes may swing from side to side of the shank 5 and will be supported at either side at an acute angle with respect to the shank as shown in Figure 2, to incline the fiukes in a rearward direction for effectively biting into the bottom of a body of water.

The tension of eye 1 and bars t in an opening or spreading movement is adjusted by a bolt 13 freely passing through openings i i in the bars 6 of the shank adjacent the eye and placing coil springs I5 on the ends of the bolt held under tension by nuts it threaded on the bolts.

Figure 4 illustrates a modified eye construction H in which the bars It forming the shank are free at both their upper and lower ends and are formed adjacent their lower ends with opposed offset separate eye portions 19 forming the sides of the eye and laterally adjustable relatively. The opening or spreading movement of the sides of the eye is regulated by upper and lower bolts 2e and TH having free movement in the bars above and below the eye and provided with coil springs 22 and nuts 23 at the ends of the bolts. The web 24 of the flukes is swingable in the eye, as heretofore described.

In Figure 5 the anchor is shown constructed of a center shank 25 similar to shank 5 and the fiukes 26 are formed with a central web 2'! swingable in the resilient eye 28 of the shank and the outer edges of the flukes are also formed with webs 29 which are swingable in resilient eyes 3| and 3! at the lower ends of a U-shaped frame 32 connected to the upper end of the center shank by a ring 34 for attaching an anchor rope (not shown) thereto.

It will also be apparent the center shank 25 of Figure 5 may be omitted and the frame 32 used as the shank of the anchor. The webs 29 may be integrally cast with the flukes 26 or welded thereto, if desired.

In the operation of the device, the flukes I l of theanchor are normally held in the resilient eye I by the resiliency of said eye and the bars 6 at an acute angle with respect to the shank 5 whereby the flakes will dig or bite into the bottom of a body of water. Should the anchor become fouled with a rock or other obstruction, a. predetermined pulling force on the anchor rope will cause the web IE to press against the sides of the eye I and open or spread the sides of the eye and the bars 6 apart, whereupon the nukes will swing downwardly into a position substantially in the plane of the shank, as shown in Figure 3, and the anchor may then be pulled free.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein describedv and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An anti-fouling anchor comprising a shank including spaced parallel opposite bars and having at corresponding ends a. substantially rec. tangular eye including spaced sides on said bars, a pair of flat ground-engaging flukes having a flat connecting web coplanar therewith; said Web extending through and oscillating in said eye, the

sides of the eye being normally spaced apart a distance less than the width of said web to restrict. Oscillation of the web into opposite posi tions. in which said web and fiukes are disposed in planes at an acute; angle tosaid shank, said eye and bars being resilient for spreading apart of said; sides by said web toprovide for oscillation of said, web, and fiukes from, said opposite positions under predetermined pull exerted a ainst; said shank,

25. An. anti-fouling; anchor according to claim 1, said shank being longitudinally split with opposite spac d sides. forming. said bars and connected to the. sides; of; the eye and. adjustable toward and away from each other to variably tension the sides of the eye against spreading, and means carried by said bars of the shank for adjusting the same.

3. An anti-fouling anchor according to claim 2, said means comprising a nut-equipped bolt extending through said bars of the shank and sprin s on. said bolt tensioning thebars of the shank againstadjustment away from each other.

4. An anti-fouling anchor according to claim 1., said eye comprising opposed separate half portions laterally adjustable relatively for adjustment of the sides of the eye relatively to variably tension the same. against spreading apart, and means extending through the sides of the eyefor adjusting the same.

CLEVE F. CHRISTIE.

nememes Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,147,799 H'ausler July 27, 1915 2,130,120 Duerr Sept. 13, 1938 2,368,9a2 Northrop Feb, 6, 1945 2,9590,423 Fearn Dec. 6, 1949 2,576,172 Burleson Sr. Nov. 27, 1951 2,591,236 Christie Apr. 1 19.5.2

FORE GN Number Country Date 79,141 Sweden Sept. 9, 1931 

